


One of Us (The Keeping of Promises part 2)

by fraufi666



Series: The Keeping of Promises [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers, Political RPF - US 20th c.
Genre: Cold War, Death, Drama, Family Loss, Gen, Implied/Referenced Incest, Loss, Minor Violence, Reminiscing, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-12 23:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5686339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fraufi666/pseuds/fraufi666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>East Germany returns home one day, having been beaten by the schoolyard boys, bringing to Germany’s attention that the albino is not settling in. Meanwhile, Germany is confronted with too much work to take care of the young personification, deciding to leave him with Bavaria, a distant relative. Yet Bavaria has never gotten along with the deceased Prussian, making it very hard for him to warm up to the albino. While Germany is getting busier and busier, will East be able to put up with Bavaria’s teaching? And furthermore, can he become the nation that Prussia once was?</p>
            </blockquote>





	One of Us (The Keeping of Promises part 2)

There was a shuffle, causing Ludwig to look up from his work quickly. An albino boy had entered the room, his usually immaculate school uniform torn, and his hair ruffled. Bruises and cuts stood out from his paper-like skin.

"East! Was ist mit dir passiert?"  Ludwig asked in alarm, quickly coming to his aid. Reaching the kitchen cabinet, he retrieved first aid kit and ran over to help tend to the boy's wounds. 

"Ich weiss es nicht." the boy responded, his pale face completely devoid of emotion. It had reminded the blond so much of the way Gilbert had often behaved about things, things that he did not want others to worry about. He tried to blot the Prussian from his mind as he blotted the blood and later the ointment from the cuts.  

Such an answer was not enough to calm Ludwig's anger "Was it the boys from school?" Ludwig asked furiously. His fists were clenched, yet his brow was damp with sweat, his expression more worn out than angry. "Herr Gott nochmal! Why do you get involved in these sorts of things! I told you to be careful!"  

"I'm sorry, Luddy." East replied, "I...I didn't do anything." 

Just when the German was about to inquire him further, the phone rang. Cursing under his breath, he had to leave the boy aside to answer. No doubt it was something important. He raced to phone and picked it up. 

"Ludwig Beilschmidt hier. Kann ich ihnen helfen?" He waited for a bit and then his expression grew more weary "I can't attend the meeting now. I have to take care of East and-" He sighed sadly, the other person on the end clearly not taking no for an answer, "Okay just please give me a few moments." Ludwig finally gave in. 

East watched the older personification put down the phone and buried his face in his hand. _Why does Luddy always look so stressed?_ he wondered. Since his older brother had left them forever, Ludwig was always too busy to do anything with him. And when he did see him, he was either tired or angry, or even an unfortunate mix of both. He was constantly working, and there was no time for the German to feel anything else.  

"Come on, Gilbert." Ludwig responded with a small smile, surprising East. Only when he was feeling a bit at ease did he refer to him by his proper name. Since the young boy was to take the older Prussian personification's place, he had to take his name as well. Yet from what he remembered of the other albino and what others had said about him was so different to how people considered the young boy. It felt like he was living in his shadow, trying his best to measure up to the big shoes that Gilbert had left behind. But it was so hard. They were so different. And people either treated him as invisible or like dirt. As the boy was lost in his thoughts, Ludwig was madly ringing up anyone else who would babysit East for the night. But Saxony, Brandenburg, Hesse and Holstein all refused. Reluctantly, after much persistence, Bavaria agreed to take care of him.  

"Gilbert..." Ludwig's voice had a slight hint of impatience to it, but he was too tired to get really angry. "Please, get up from the couch. I have to attend this evening's meeting. Grab your coat and let's go."  

Not wanting to anger him any longer, East got up from the chair and grabbed his coat. Once in the car, Ludwig hurriedly drove them to the city's centre. Waiting for them with his arms crossed and hair so messy that it looked as if it had never seen a comb in its life was Bavaria. His blue eyes stared down at East condescendingly. The personification was glad that his bunny suit allowed him to hide from this intimidating man. 

"Vielen Dank." Ludwig responded gratefully to the man. He was about to introduce the boy but he had hidden behind his legs. "Come on, Gilbert...this is Bavaria, your uncle Theodo. He's family."  

The kind tone of the other caused the boy to slowly venture from his hiding place. Bavaria was tapping his foot impatiently.  

"Hurry up. I'll miss the last train to Munich if you keep stalling." The other blond grumbled. 

Ludwig took the boy's hand and tried to pull him towards the other personification. "Now you be a good boy." He said, wagging a finger at him. He looked back at Theodo who was still glaring. "Enschuldigung, he usually is a very good boy..he's just shy."  

Yet at this point, East had had enough. He did not want such a terrifying man to take care of him. 

"Luddy, no! I don't want to go with him! I want to stay with you!" He cried, racing back to him.  

"Please, don't be difficult!" Ludwig begged, trying to wrestle himself from the other's desperate grasp "I have a meeting! It will only be for tonight! I'll come back." And with that, he had managed to free himself, hurriedly getting into the car and driving away. In all of his desperation, he did not even get to say goodbye.  

Now East was left with a strange man who looked slightly like Ludwig but not nearly as friendly. Like Ludwig, he took him by the hand firmly and started walking him away from the familiar streets. Tears were streaming out of his eyes as he tried to pull away, waving out to the car that was driving away.  

"Luddy!"  

Theodo wouldn't have it. He pulled him away more tightly that it felt like his wrist would snap. "Lass mich los!" He cried. 

"Nein." The other man replied simply as he continued to walk them the opposite direction. There was such a disgusted expression on his face as he heard the boy's accent. It was so strange for his ears. 

East continued to cry. This was enough to shatter his patience. He spun him around so that the boy was staring directly into his eyes.  

"If you want to be a brat, so be it. But I have a duty to take care of you. Ludwig will be very cross when he finds out how difficult you are being. Now if you want to run away, so be it. I don't have time to mess around with annoying children. If not, then shut up and follow me." 

The words seemed to cut through the albino's paper-like skin like knives. He gulped, the words enough to do the trick. Reluctantly, he followed the tough Bavarian behind and boarded the train. Theodo had long let go of his hand, knowing that his words were strong enough to push him along. Or perhaps he really did not care whether East had chosen to run the opposite direction. It was hard to tell.  

After a tortuously long and quiet train trip, Theodo walked up through the cobblestone streets and took a turn to an area that had looked like a forest. As they walked further and further away from the urban district, East began to feel more terrified. How was he going to get home now? He had wished that he had run away sooner while he had the chance, but they were too far away now. The only choice he had left was to stay. 

Perched on a hill stood a traditional wooden house, much like the ones from the fairytale books that Gilbert used to read to him. Theodo unlocked the door and walked straight through, dropping the carry case that Ludwig had left for East. 

"First room to the left is the guest room. A bed is there for you." He replied clinically. He had left the carry case in its place, not bothering to help the boy unpack. 

East waited, hoping that the man would help him. But Theodo had sat down on a chair, unfolding the evening paper. It was as if East had not existed to him.  

"Ludwig always helps me unpack." East pointed out, hoping that this would change Theodo's mind. But his expression remained fixed as he continued to read the newspaper. 

"Can you help me?" East asked, as loudly as he dared,

"Who do you think I am, your mother?" Theodo asked "Go do it yourself." He was then muttering to himself, now that his concentration was broken, "Worse than Prussia..." 

Tears began to well in his eyes and Theodo looked up, seeing his expression. "Oh please, not the water works." He groaned, rolling his eyes. He had thrown the paper on the couch, walking over to the kitchen. There was no way he was going to get anything done with East in the way and he was regretting agreeing to taking care of him, "I'm going to prepare dinner. So if you want to stand there and continue to feel sorry for yourself, go ahead." 

Knowing that Theodo was not going to help him, East carried the case up to his room, huffing and puffing as he did so. He figured that since this man was so rude to him, there was probably going to bed no bed there and he'd have to sleep on a cold plank of wood.  

But to his surprise, the bed was already neatly made. At the foot of it, sat a couple of folded blankets and towels. It amazed him with how someone would work so fast despite being given such short notice. He sat down on the bed, sighing. Even though everything was so neatly prepared for him, he still had to unpack. And he really did not like to see how annoyed the older personification looked when nothing was done. Getting up from the bed quickly, he started to unpack. As he reached into the bag, a sharp edge almost pricked him. Confused by the hard surface, he reached further into the bag and pulled out a picture frame. To his surprise, Prussia was beaming at him from within the frame. He found himself smiling slightly too. It made him happy to know that Ludwig had remembered to pack the photograph of Prussia that he had always kept in his room. Just as he started to reminisce, a shout jolted him from his thoughts. 

"Dinner's ready!" 

  

Meanwhile, Ludwig could not focus at all on the meeting. He sat in complete silence as the politicians around him continued to debate and quibble amongst themselves. Often, he would step in and silence them, but he was too tired to do so. Yet a nudge on his shoulder alerted him back to his surroundings.

"Herr Beilschmidt…" one of the politicians called out "You haven't said a word. How do you feel about this new project launch?"

"Sorry, Herr Löb.." Ludwig muttered, searching through his notes. A couple of the politicians chuckled to themselves. It was so unlike Ludwig to be flustered and unprepared. He was basically the epitome of German efficiency, even the Chancellor thought so herself. 

"We're waiting…" One of them reminded him with a teasing grin. Suddenly he thought of the way East had came home with bruises. It could have been one of these colleagues' sons, or relatives. The thought infuriated him. He could no longer think rationally. The utter tiredness he had once felt was entirely replaced by outrage. To think that his own country's people had belittled East. Oh, of course _he_ could take it. He had been a nation for so long. But not East. The boy was so young. It was completely unfair.  

At that, he had slammed the papers on the table. 

"You know who else is waiting?" Ludwig interjected "Every, single verdammt person in this nation! Waiting for you lousy people to pull up your socks and actually get to work instead of making meaningless launches all the time! We are setting an example here as a nation to Europe and the world, and all you people seem to care about is filling your own pockets whilst the rest of Germany waits. All these launches and promises to provide something. But for what?! Like the poor! The impoverished…" East's head flashed back in his mind with a such a blank expression that almost broke his heart "..the ones who are made to be outcasts to SOCIETY!" 

The faces surrounding him froze. For a moment, it seemed as though Ludwig was not there, he was watching himself scream as he floated above him, unable to stop himself. Nervously, he looked down at his hands which were shaking so much he had to grip the table top to steady himself. Then, feeling ashamed he raced out of the room before he could hear a single reply. 

Back against the corridor, he pulled off his coat, loosening his tie slightly. The air felt suffocating, although not so much from the heat but from his own shame. Just as he was about to fold his coat, he felt something in one of its pockets. Puzzled, he produced a small folded piece of paper. On it was a number of a man who understood his situation most of all.  

He dialled the number into his mobile phone. 

"Hello, Henry Kissinger speaking."

Ludwig felt immediately relieved to hear the deep, familiar voice. "Herr Kissinger? Ludwig Beilschmidt here." 

There was a warm chuckle before the speaker reverted back to his native tongue. "Ludwig…it's been a while hasn't it. What can I do for you?" 

The German gave a sigh before continuing. With the warm way Kissinger had addressed him, it was as if his meeting with him had only been yesterday. "I'm sorry…I didn't know who else to call but I-" 

"Stressed?" Kissinger asked, immediately guessing what he was about to say. He smiled in understanding, although Ludwig was not able to see it. "East hasn't been giving you trouble, has he? He seems like such a sweet little boy."

"Nein. It's…well…" Ludwig trailed off, slumping onto the floor. Now that he thought of it, it wasn't just work that was giving him grief. "I don't know." He then realised that it was probably daytime where Kissinger was and he did not want to tear him away from anything important. "I'm sorry, it's probably nothing. I don't want to disturb you while you are busy." 

Kissinger chuckled, "Nonsense. I gave you this number for a reason. If something wasn't troubling you, you wouldn't have called. Now please, tell me what the matter is."  

But the German was worn. All that furious energy from that outburst before had left him cold. "I'm sorry..." He said with a sad smile "But I should go." Before Kissinger had a chance to argue with him, the line went dead. 

 

Theodo frowned at the young boy before him. Despite being dressed like a rabbit, the albino pushed away the vegetables miserably with the fork so that it would look as if he had eaten more.  

"You have to eat." Theodo chided.

"But I don't like it..." East whined.

The older personification sighed. He was quickly losing patience again. "Okay, fine. If you don't want it, then there's no dinner for you. Gott Verdammt, what a waste of good food." He muttered, grabbing the plate of the Prussian and emptying it into the bin. 

The eyes of the boy grew even redder with sadness. He was still hungry, but the look on Theodo's face made him reluctant to argue. Yet as the minutes ticked by, the stomach pains worsened. 

"Luddy always makes me wurst." East explained.  

"What do I look like to you? Some sort of canteen? I gave you your food already and you didn't want it. Now you can help clear the table." 

At that, East had lost it. First, he was denied his dinner and now this. Ludwig had never treated him this way. It was unbelievably cruel. But most of all, he missed Gilbert and how he had treated him far better than either of them. The fact that he was never going to see him again only hurt him more. 

"No." East shot back suddenly "I won't, and you can't make me! You're not him!" With tears rolling down his snow white cheeks, he ran straight to his room. Bavaria was tempted to chase after him, to discipline him for good, but then he decided that it was no use.

"Stubborn. Just like Prussia." Theodo stated simply. And with that, he turned to clear the table himself. 

 

Even though Ludwig had came home to rest and forget about the disaster of this evening, a phone call shocked him, causing him to almost drop his beer. Quickly, he picked it up, thinking that it was Kissinger and was about to tell him again that he wasn't in the mood to vent. 

"Now before you say anything else, I'm too tired to say anything..."

"You're tired?! YOU'RE TIRED?!" Theodo's voice yelled back at him, _"I'm_ tired! With your brat East, or brother or whatever it is you call him!" The voice sounded much angrier than Ludwig would have anticipated. 

"I don't understand.." Ludwig began "He is such a good boy. There must be some explanation for-"

"Oh, _you_ don't understand? He's a rebellious tyrant. Just like your disgusting brother. I never liked him. Always too high and mighty to do anything anybody tells him!" 

At the mention of Prussia, Ludwig became furious. "Don't ever speak about Gilbert like that, you hear me?!" The headset was beginning to feel slippery with perspiration, "Even after he has died, you still speak ill of him!"

Theodo started laughing madly. It was hard to tell whether he was enraged or amused. "My my. Still so loyal to him, even after everything. After he left you and the whole nation! I always did wonder what went on between the two of you...but I'd rather not make myself sick with thoughts of such an unsavory nature." To his horror, Ludwig realised that Theodo was enjoying this. He was pushing his buttons, and doing a great job of it. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Right now was not the time to lose his temper. _I must remain calm. I must remain calm._ He repeated silently. He could not let Theodo win. Gilbert certainly wouldn't and the last thing he had wanted was for Gilbert to look down on his brothers in disappointment. The Prussian was no longer around to pick up the pieces.  

"Well." Ludwig started again, choosing his words carefully, "You just didn't understand him. I'm going to pick him up, first thing tomorrow. Someone has to take care of him, and it's a pity that you and the others just won't pull your weight. Auf Wiederhören." He hung up and sat back down to drink his beer. 

But it tasted sour. 

 

Theodo awoke to a cry. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. It was far too early and he did not want to attend to East. But as he was about to roll over and go back to sleep, the cries grew louder and louder. There was no way he was ever going to get a decent wink of sleep if East continued to carry on.  

Annoyed, he got up and went over to East's room. Right now, he was ready for giving him a stern talking to. But when he did come inside, his face fell. He was no longer prepared.  

Lying on his back, the boy's face was tense. His brows were knitted together, as if he was concentrating on something. But then, there was a sharp intake of breath. His breathing grew heavier by the second, as if he were trying to run away, trying to escape from something terrifying but unseen. 

Theodo stood helplessly, watching the boy struggle in his sleep. 

"Hilfe!" He screamed suddenly. There was a wail, and he was tossing and turning in fright, "Hilfe! Bitte, hilfe!" He continued to cry. Tears started to sneak out onto his cheeks "Die Russen! Bitte...bitte!"  

Instinctively, there was a hand to his hair, soothing him from his fright. Even though he could not see who it was, he felt safe right away. Theodo could not believe he was nurturing the boy, but despite his own animosity, he was there. No words were needed. 

It didn't take long for East to quieten down and sleep properly again. He looked at the boy's relaxed face, feeling himself being drawn more to him but shook his head. He was still the reminder of Gilbert, who he could not stand and he could not allow himself to get too close. He left the room.

*

Ludwig finally picked up East from the station. Although the two stood side by side, there was a sense of detachment between them. It was as if they were merely strangers rather than relatives. "Was he well behaved?" Ludwig asked with some concern in his voice as he approached them, taking the carry case from him. 

"You need to be stricter with him!" Theodo scolded, getting straight to the point, "The boy doesn't eat vegetables. Your parenting style is becoming almost as sloppy as…"

But he stopped, noticing the way those cold blue eyes stared back at him accusingly. He did not have to finish the sentence. They both knew who he was talking about. 

"Well, thank you for taking care of him." Ludwig replied back politely, although the look in his eyes did not seem to go away. He gently ushered East out of the station and into the car where he drove him home. East had not said a thing for the duration of the trip, but as soon as they settled back into the house, East threw the carry case on the floor in defiance. The thump startled the older German, causing him to look up. 

"I hate him." East said simply.

Ludwig looked at him with surprise. "Was? Don't be ridiculous. You don't mean it." 

"No I do." East insisted, "I hate him, I hate him!" Furiously, he ran away outside.  

Before he knew it, he had caught the train and was standing in front of the Sanssouci Palace. He did not really know what had spurred him to make his journey there, but after ascending the steps he realised. In times like these, he just had to turn to the place which was the most important to Gilbert. Once inside the palace, he had felt strangely calm. All of the anger with Bavaria had faded, and he even stopped feeling upset with Ludwig too.  

To the surprise of Ludwig and the staff working at the palace, he immediately volunteered. The small albino boy stood out among the predominately middle-aged staff members, but seeing how enthusiastic he was, they could not turn him away. 

So after school each day, East would go to the palace to volunteer. Sometimes, he would look up at the portrait of the great man that Gilbert had affectionally called Old Fritz and wonder what sorts of things the two had gone through together. He had wished that he could speak to the man, but the face in the portrait always contained the same quiet seriousness that Friedrich often had. Although he had never met the man, with the stories that Gilbert told him and being in a space that he had occupied so often, he had come to feel closer to Old Fritz, although not in the same way that the Prussian had. 

Perhaps somewhere, Gilbert would be looking down on him and beaming at the young boy with pride. He knew that he had done the right thing. 

Ludwig did not say a thing about this. He had let him go of his own accord, but the routine at home was far stricter.  

"Have you done your homework yet?" Ludwig asked firmly to the silver haired boy as he was about to leave the house. "Just because you want to pay your respects to Gilbert, you can't neglect your education."

Glumly, East would turn around and go back to his school work. Ludwig shook his head. These days, he had seemed better behaved, but a lot more preoccupied than usual. His head was always in the clouds, rather than ground into reality. But he never understood East's close connection with the palace. It was only something that his older brother would know.  

Yet he did not get a chance to ask East about the palace. Work with the government was becoming far more tense and as the paperwork continued to pile up, East barely got to see the blond at all. He often worked in the office until late at night, but was off again early in the morning. But East did not mind too much. He needed an escape from Ludwig's rigorous routine. 

"The EU needs me again." Ludwig said one day as he put down his telephone. "I have to go."

"What's the difference? You're always out anyway." East mumbled glumly, poking at the untouched mash potato on the edge of his plate.

Ludwig ignored him, "I will be gone for a week. Uncle Theodo will look after you."

The pink orbs shot up at the German, "Please, Luddy…not uncle Theodo again. He scares me. And anyway, you're never home anyway so what difference does it make if I stay here alone?" 

Ludwig sighed, furrowing his brow. He looked more stressed than usual. Dark circles under his eyes showed that the late hours in the office were taking a toll. "Please, don't argue with me, East. I can't leave you here unaccompanied without an adult. 

Since travelling from Bavaria to the palace was too much trouble each day for East, Ludwig decided to let Theodo stay over at the house instead. The Bavarian arrived a few hours after Ludwig's telephone call. He kept to himself, letting Ludwig take care of East as he kept himself preoccupied with the television or books he had taken along with him. 

Yet early the next day after Ludwig had left for the trip, Theodo had taken charge once again. 

"Wake up, wake up!" Theodo shouted, shaking the boy awake. East rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was still dark and it was not even six yet.  

"I don't have school today…I'm on holiday." East mumbled, rolling to his side to sleep. 

He felt a gust of cold air as Theodo pulled the blanket off him. "Holidays are no excuse for slack behaviour. Ludwig wakes up much earlier than you." 

As soon as East finally got up, he went to go to the cupboard to get breakfast, but Theodo blocked his way. 

"No. No breakfast yet. You haven't done your exercises yet." Theodo said firmly. 

"But I'm hungry…" East protested. First, he was not allowed to sleep in and now he could not even eat breakfast. He wished that he had argued with Ludwig so that the dreaded Bavarian would not come over.  

"Right now is the perfect time for exercises. Stop complaining."  

Reluctantly, East followed Theodo outside. He shivered in the early morning chill, wishing that he was wearing his bunny suit. 

"Well don't just _stand_ there!" Theodo exclaimed, "Go and run around the yard. Ten laps!" 

Something that he said, or the tone that he had said it in sounded so familiar. _The yard was bathed in sunlight and Ludwig and Gilbert were running laps. Gradually, Gilbert was struggling to run any more laps until it was only Ludwig who jogged in the yard alone as the older personification lay weakly in bed._

He shut his eyes away from the thought. After he opened them, it was just him and Theodo in the dark yard once more. He began to pick up his speed and jog, yet he was slow and Theodo was getting impatient. 

"You really haven't been disciplined. You're just like Gilbert. Slow…weak… _pathetic_."

At that last word, a nerve was struck. 

"Don't you ever call him that." The boy muttered angrily.

"Then show me." Theodo said simply. 

East slowly began to pick up his pace, yet he was feeling too tired to run any faster. The Bavarian waited, watching him and never letting him take a rest. 

"Keep going! And don't ever stop until you are done!"

He felt his feet hurting. There might have been a blister but he wouldn't dare check while Theodo was watching him. His legs were spindly and tired. Even at school, he had never been pushed to run at such a speed. But he forced himself to continue. A spark had ignited in him and there was no way that he was going to let it go out.

_I will show him._ East thought in determination. But the anger had quickly melted away. No. This was not going to be for Theodo. This was for Gilbert. Yet it was more than that. As he ran, panting and feeling his shirt clinging to him with sweat he remembered. Although it was a few years ago, he remembered seeing the way the silver haired Prussian had wiped the tears from his youngest brother's eyes and how he had seemed so strong, so unafraid of death. He knew his time was up. It was time for East to take his place and prove himself. 

Perhaps now the Prussian would be watching over him, smiling proudly at the young boy as he ran many laps. The thought of the cheery albino brought a smile to East's lips and he puffed as he ran on. Even though Theodo was telling him that it was enough, East continued to run, to push himself to succeed.  

_Are you proud of me now, Gilbert? I know you're up there. I miss you. But I will do the best I can for you. I will become as good and as strong as you were. You'll see._

Theodo could not believe his eyes. Minutes ago, the boy was reluctantly climbing out of bed, but now he was racing with as much determination as an athlete. He sighed. It was impossible to hate the boy. The way he had melted his heart was strange. _Perhaps I am getting soft at my old age_. Theodo realised to himself. But after East had collapsed in exhaustion, he did not give him more than a slight pat on the back and a hurried congratulations before throwing him a towel and walking away quickly. 

*

All day Ludwig was busy with work and an endless stream of conferences. Only late at night in the hotel room did Ludwig get a chance to have a free moment. Yet by now he knew that East would have been fast asleep. Sitting up, he propped a fist under his chin, frowning in concern. He wanted to know whether or not things were improving between East and the Bavarian but looking at how late it was, he decided not to wake the boy. 

Instead, he found himself ringing the number of a man that he had backed out from conversing with last time. 

"Ludwig?" Kissinger sounded surprised. 

"I can't get over him.." Ludwig said sadly, unable to stop himself. "I know it has been a while since my brother has passed away, but I can't forget him." His voice was shaking, "What do I do? How can I raise East on my own without him? He came back from school one day with bruises on himself. He has no friends…I don't want him to be alone. But now I've had to leave him behind for hours, I don't know if he'll be alright-" 

"Shhh…" The politician hushed. "You are far too hard on yourself…and East for that matter. Nobody said that it would be easy. Why, it took me ages until I could finally be at peace from Nixon's death. But you don't give yourself, or East enough credit. You've been doing a fine job. You've raised him for a very long time now, you mustn't forget that. But you can't keep watch of him forever. The boy will learn. He will grow and change." Judging by the kind tone of voice, it seemed as if Kissinger was smiling, "Ludwig, please don't worry. You need your strength for your work. If you wear yourself out, it will affect the boy too. Who is taking care of him now?" 

"My cousin, Theodo. But he has always hated my brother. I don't know how he would be able to stand East…he'll only remind him of Gilbert. I don't even think they got along well last time. Theodo is quite rough. But nobody else wants to take care of him so-" 

Kissinger gave a light hearted chuckle, cutting him off. Ludwig looked puzzled, not sure whether to be offended or to join him. "What is so funny? Is it something I said?" 

"Entschuldigung." The older man apologised, "It's just that you have nothing to be afraid of. I was raised by a Bavarian family all my life. I know they can be rougher than Northern Germans. But they mean well. There is nothing to fear, dear Ludwig." 

Ludwig stared at the red digits on the alarm clock, unsure how to respond. 

"Really. Don't worry." Kissinger reassured him patiently, reading his silence. If he was sitting in the same room as Ludwig, he would have placed a hand on the other man's to further calm him. "You will be fine."

"Who?" The blond asked stupidly,

"Why…the both of you of course." 

Even though Ludwig had not replied, he closed his eyes. It was just the answer that he needed. Leaning back on the mattress, he let go of the phone. 

"Thank you…" He whispered finally, seconds after Kissinger had hung up.  

Yet there was no need to thank him. Kissinger put down the headset, looking across the room hopefully. There were no words needed. He knew that the German would have been grateful.  

 

Days passed and Theodo continued with the strict routine. But slowly he noticed a change in the albino's behaviour. He was more obedient, polite even. He did his chores and exercises without any complaints, although he still had not finished all of his vegetables. Yet one day he did not come home early enough. 

Furious, Theodo set out to look for him. The fact that he had been so faithful, only to leave the house for a long time without a word felt like a betrayal. He searched the streets for him, yet there was no sign of a young boy in a bunny suit. Not at all accustomed with the hustle and bustle of the traffic, Theodo felt completely out of place. A cyclist in a hurry almost swerved into him.

"Watch where you're going, dummkopf!" Theodo shouted. The cyclist, a young boy who was not much older than East looked at Theodo in bewilderment. Shaking his head, he walked on, trying to watch out for anymore reckless cyclists. 

A dark shadow loomed over him, forcing the Bavarian to look up. Noticing the Sanssouci Palace at last, he realised where the Prussian may be. 

Without wasting any time, he raced up the stairs, bursting into the palace. 

"Sir, you need a ticket." An attendant called out.

"Shut up, I'm looking for my nephew." Theodo snapped. Ignoring the shocked expression of the woman, he raced past the visitors to look for him. 

It took a while before he noticed the room at the very end. He was there, smartly dressed and on his knees as he paid his respects to the pictures that were there. The first, a large oil painting was Frederick the Great. But East was not paying attention to him. He was silently praying to the smaller picture. A picture of a smiling young man with striking red eyes and silvery hair.  

Theodo clenched his fists. He should have guessed that East would pay his respects to someone like that. But the feeling of anger passed as he was taken aback by the calm and humble behaviour of the boy before him. This was not the child who was screaming and yelling as he was being separated from Ludwig, nor the one who refused to eat vegetables. This child…no, young man Theodo realised, was destined to be great. 

Feeling the presence of someone else in the room, East turned around. But by this stage the Bavarian had left. 

That evening, East returned home. Theodo sat in his chair, studying the newspaper and ignoring him. 

"Uncle Theodo.." East called out softly, "Uncle Theodo I'm sorry I'm late." 

"Dinner is on the stove. Get it yourself." Theodo responded coldly, not even bothering to make eye contact with him. 

Sadly, East obeyed. But it was only hours later when it crossed his mind of who was in the palace with him. He then made the connection to Theodo's recent behaviour. A question floated in his mind before his eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep.  

_But what does he have against Gilbert?_

*

_He could hear his terrified pants as he raced through the ruined city. Blood strewn over the roads. Screams filled the air as he weakly raced away from the enemy._

_The tanks were drawing closer. Now he was just a few feet away from the Berlin Wall. He slammed his palms against the concrete, as if such a movement would cause the wall to crumble down.  
_

_"Hilfe!" He cried, "Bitte!" The Russians were surely on their way now. He did not have to turn around to know that it was their boots that were stomping against the ground as they approached him, ready to take him away with them._

_"Come out little one." A voice called out, laced in a Russian accent  "We will be one now, da?"_

_He reached up to the ledge, trying to pull himself over. But he was too short. It was no use. The Russians were going to capture him for certain._

_Suddenly he felt someone pull him away roughly to the other side. He could not tell if they were over the fence or not, but whoever it was, they were pulling him close, holding him tightly so that he could not have fallen into the wrong hands. He felt the rough, calloused hands touch his shoulders._

_"Gilbert?" He asked in confusion, unable to recognise the large person who was cradling him.  
_

He opened his eyes to find that he was in his room. But the person who was embracing him was not Gilbert. He saw the Bavarian's eyes widen when he noticed that the boy had awoken. For a moment it looked as if he was about to pull away, to regard him with the same cold fashion that he always did. Yet this time it was different. Something had changed. 

"No East. No, I'm not Gilbert." The voice had a sound to it that was unlike anything ever uttered from Theodo. It sounded disappointed and slightly sad. But it was not the disappointment he was so accustomed to hearing that was directed to him. The disappointment was directed to himself. 

"I'm not Gilbert." Theodo repeated, holding him tighter. "I'm sorry, East. I'm sorry for how badly I treated you. But the reason why I hated him was not because he was stubborn, or over dramatic…or whatever other insult I had used to describe him." It sounded as if he was ashamed. The hands let East go. But the older personification kept his eyes downcast, not wanting to let the boy see how disappointed he was with himself. Seeing him looking so dismayed in the dull light was almost surreal. He wondered whether he was still dreaming. "It was because I was jealous. Gilbert had done many great things in his time. I just never measured up to it." Suddenly his shoulders shook. He was laughing. Trying to laugh the pain away. "I can't be as good as Gilbert. Because I'm not him. That's actually why everyone ended up hating him too. Because he showed off and acted like he knew everything. But he did. He really was…" He trailed off, struggling to utter the next word as if it was a curse word, "…awesome." 

East watched the Bavarian speak of a secret that he had kept for so many years, one that had seemed to threaten the relationship between all the German personifications. He knew that Theodo had not been the best relative, but he really wasn't all that bad. But he had to do something to make him happy again. It hurt to see Theodo look so miserable.  

"I think you are awesome." East admitted finally, his pink eyes illuminating in the darkness. And as if to forgive him, he kissed him   on the cheek. 

Theodo was blinking rapidly so that he would not let any tears out. "What are you doing still up?" He started, reverting back to his strict persona "We have a big day tomorrow. Go to sleep." 

After East had rolled over and gone to sleep, Theodo walked out of the bedroom. He could not help it, but there was something of a smile that was beginning to form on his lips. It had been a long time since he had ever smiled like that before. 

_Goodnight, great one. You are now one of us._

And from then on, East and the Bavarian had become very close indeed. 

**Epilogue**

A hand tapped Ludwig on the shoulder. He looked up from his desk. 

"Yes?"

It was one of the politicians, Herr Meyer. 

"Hey Ludwig. You know, we have been thinking a lot about what you said in one of our earlier meetings. And you were right. We haven't been putting much effort into taking care of the impoverished. In fact, we think that this is something we can work towards. I've spoken to some of the other members and they agree. The chancellor would also be curious to know of this. If you can write a proposal for her and send it by five, we can discuss this together." 

His eyes widened. It could not be true, what he was hearing. It might as well have been a joke. But Meyer was a serious man, and had never joked. Especially in matters related to politics.  Ludwig already was feeling happy, knowing that East was improving and even Theodo was much kinder. But to think that the most important person in the country had wanted to hear of his idea surprised him. What he was so concerned about was now going to become something that was going to be addressed by the most important people in government. 

"Ja! Give me an hour and I'll have it done." Ludwig said promptly.

The other man slapped him on the back in approval. "Gut Gemacht. We will see you soon then." 

But Ludwig was no longer listening, for he was busy preparing and doing what he felt was best for his nation. But this wasn't just for his own achievements. He was doing it for East and for all those who were in need. And most of all, he was doing it because he knew that Gilbert would also be proud of him and approve of this idea immensely. 

 

He would be proud of the both of them. 

**Author's Note:**

> German translation key:
> 
> Was ist mit dir passiert: What has happened to you?
> 
> Ich weiss es nicht: I do not know
> 
> Hier: Here
> 
> Kann ich ihnen helfen?: Can I help you?  
> Vielen Dank: Thank you very much
> 
> Enschuldigung: Excuse me/sorry
> 
> Lass mich los: Let me go
> 
> Nein: No
> 
> Herr: Mr
> 
> Verdammt: Damn
> 
> Auf Wiederhören: Goodbye (on the phone)
> 
> Hilfe: Help
> 
> Bitte: Please
> 
> Die Russen: The Russians
> 
> Was?: What?
> 
> Dummkopf: A derogatory term usually meaning a silly person
> 
> Ja: Yes
> 
> Gut Gemacht: Good job


End file.
